Anne Gets a Flower

Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter) is deeply in love with her fiance, George, a soldier serving in Korea. After a long silence, she receives a letter from him; she decides to save it so that she can open it on her birthday evening. Sitting alone in her apartment, a glass of champagne in her hand, she reads the letter to discover George has met someone else and is breaking his engagement to Norah. The telephone rings; a devastated Norah answers it. The caller, Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr) assumes Nora is her roommate, Crystal Carpenter (Ann Sothern). Harry, an artist who has been working in her office, invites Noar to dinner at The Blue Gardenia (1953) and hangs up. Norah decides she will keep the date, with shocking results.

Welcome to the world of Film Noir and our contribution to The Noirathon, a chance visit other blogs and read about some of the amazing - and oft ignored - films noir.  Our contribution is  a well-paced film with just the right number of twists and very little fluff - The Blue Gardenia, a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging mystery. It has an excellent cast, with strong performances from Raymond Burr, Anne Baxter, and Ann Sothern. Director Fritz Lang and cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca create an almost claustrophobic atmosphere, with much of the film shot indoors or at night (TCM article).

Allegedly, Margaret Sullavan had originally been approached for the role that went to Anne Baxter (Wikipedia). Ms. Baxter is convincing as a woman plagued by guilt for a crime that she doesn't remember committing. Her scenes with roommates Jeff Donnell (Sally Ellis) and especially Ann Sothern, add to our understanding of the character. Equally engaging are her interactions with Raymond Burr - she suffered a torn ligament in their fight scene (AFI Catalog) and the intensity of their battle translates to the screen. Ms. Baxter had already won an Oscar for her performance as Sophie in The Razor's Edge (1947), and been nominated for her role as Eve Harrington in All About Eve (1950). Though she moved to Australia for four years, following her second marriage to Randolph Galt (The Washington Post), she continued to work in film, television, and on Broadway until her death in 1986. [She wrote about her time in Australia in Intermission: A True Story.]  

Prior to Perry Mason, Raymond Burr was best known as a villain, and he doesn't disappoint in this film. Harry Prebble is a serial rapist, pure and simple. He could be just a stock bad guy, but Mr. Burr manages to make him interesting. You don't, by any means, root for him. However, you grasp why women might succumb to his date requests, despite his reputation as a Lothario.  Partly, it's his work as an artist; with many men aware in Korea, his competition is also diminished. But, it's mostly Mr. Burr's skill as an actor, talents he would get to really demonstrate on television. Like Ms. Baxter, Mr. Burr also worked up until his death, primarily in a series of Perry Mason movies that were hugely popular - and reunited him with his good friend, Barbara Hale. He'd spend much of his off-screen time raising orchids, one of which is named after Ms. Hale, with his life-partner, Robert Benevides. He died of liver cancer in 1993.

Ann Sothern is an actress who rarely missteps, and she is in top form in this film. She wisecracks, she teases, but she is a support to her friend in a time of need. It's rather a shame that she is so often a supporting player, rather than the lead, but it's also true that Crystal gets the best lines in the script, like " Honey, if a girl killed every man who got fresh with her, how much of the male population do you think there’d be left?"

We were not as intrigued with Richard Conte as reporter Casey Mayo. It's not all that interesting a part, and unfortunately, Mr. Conte doesn't make it more compelling. Casey is supposed to be a powerful, popular journalist, but Mr. Conte not very dynamic. He also should be more comfortable with the police, as represented by George Reeves (Captain Sam Haynes).  We wondered what would have happened if Mr. Conte and Mr. Reeves switched parts - quite frankly, Mr. Reeves is a lot sexier and stronger. As an aside, Ruth Storey, who plays Harry's former victim, Rose, was Mr. Conte's wife at this time.

The lovely title song is performed by the unforgettable Nat "King" Cole. As is often the case with African-American performers in films of the period, Mr. Cole is removed from the action - playing the piano in the Blue Gardenia nightclub. The only "interaction" he has with the cast is with Celia Lovsky (May, the blind flower vendor), who approaches the piano to place a flower on it. In venues that objected, the scene could have been eliminated. But the song could not, as it turns out to be integral to the storyline. Whether he was physically visible or not, Mr. Cole is felt throughout the film.

In his interview with Fritz Lang in Who the Devil Made It: Conversations with ... Peter Bogdanovich called the film "a particularly venomous picture of American life" Lang replied that "it was the first picture after the McCarthy business, and I had to shoot it in twenty day. Maybe that's what made me so venomous." [Lang was never called before the committee, but he did have difficulty getting work as a result of HUAC's investigations (Continental Strangers: German Exile Cinema, 1933-1951 by Gerd Gemünden)]. I'm not sure that I would call the story "venomous" but in the era of #metoo, it is a sad reminder that women have long been victimized by men, whether it is the Harry Prebbles, Casey Mayos, or Georges of the world.

Based on the short story The Gardenia by Vera Caspary (it was re-titled to capitalize on the Black Dahlia mystery of 1947),the story was reprised on the Lux Radio Theatre in November 1954, this time starring Dana Andrews and Ruth Roman.  Bosley Crowther didn't like the film in his New York Times review, calling it "routine melodrama. He also tries to ruin the film by revealing the ending, so be warned if you choose to read the review.

We heartily recommend The Blue Gardenia for your viewing pleasure. We'll end with this trailer, featuring Nat "King" Cole:

This post is part of The Noirathon